The protests that erupted in Bangladesh following a court order to reserve jobs for the children of the freedom fighters have shown no sign of abating despite the Supreme Court’s latest ruling bringing down the quota from 30 percent to 5 percent.
The court also reserved one percent of government jobs for the tribal communities and one percent for people with disabilities.
The protestors, however, continued to demand the total abolition of reservations in government jobs.
What triggered the protests?
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina scrapped the controversial quota in 2018, but a lower court recently reinstated the reservations, triggering protests.
Over 130 protestors have been killed during the government clampdown, and many others belonging to the ‘Students against Discrimination’ and ‘Bangladesh Nationalist Party’ have been arrested.
Several countries, including India, have issued advisories against traveling to Bangladesh. The Ministry of External Affairs has stated that 4,500 students have returned to India in the wake of the protests and provided helpline numbers for any other citizens who wish to return.